SASAMI’s heavy brand of shoegaze has made her one of Paste’s favorite acts to look out for. Today (July 27), SASAMI shares her cover of Daniel Johnston deep cut “Sorry Entertainer,” taking the discordant song to heavier, thrashier heights.
Speaking on the choices that led up to the roaring rendition of “Sorry Entertainer,” SASAMI said:
I made my last album when I was in a very emotionally vulnerable and tender place, but after a couple years of touring those same subtle, more sensitive songs, the live show became louder and more volatile. A bit before the pandemic took hold I was really getting back into metal and numetal, so a couple months into quarantine I made an acoustic version of the System of a Down song “Toxicity.” My sadness ripened into anger throughout 2020, and deeper into it I started experimenting with a heavier palette and decided to perform the inverse exercise of metallicizing an acoustic song. “Sorry Entertainer” is my take on mixing the desperation of being a hopeless and powerless artist and the extremely powerful sounds of a metal band. Like giving a toddler a flamethrower … or a fullstack.
The accompanying video features SASAMI as a tutor from hell, playing pranks on her unsuspecting pupil until his world devolves into a nightmare-inducing bloodbath. Unsurprisingly, the video is directed by comedian Patti Harrison (featured in Paste favorite I Think You Should Leave) and Alan Resnick, perhaps best known for his terrifying Adult Swim infomercial Unedited Footage of a Bear. Together, the two craft a funny yet deeply disturbing cautionary tale of not trusting just anyone to come into your home.
Watch the video for “Sorry Entertainer” below and revisit Sasami’s 2018 Paste Studio session further down.
